Somewhere In Time
by TwilightBEL
Summary: Beyond fantasy. Beyond obsession. Beyond time itself... he will find her. Edward becomes entranced by the smile of a young woman he sees in a photo taken over 70 yrs ago. Written for SMCC. Now a multi-chapter story!
1. Chapter 1

**Steamy Movie Crossover Contest**

**Name of story: Somewhere In Time**

**Penname: AlohaBEL**

**Movie or TV Show: Somewhere In Time**

**Main Character Pairing: Edward and Bella**

**POV: Edward and some Bella**

**To read the rest of the entries go to the Steamy Movie Crossover Contest C2.**

**If you want to see the rules for this contest go to TheThreeSmutketeers profile page.**

**Or**

**ObessingoverEdward, Jayeliwood, or TheSpoiltOne-amanda2505 profile pages.**

**If you have any questions about the contest, contact them.**

**Contest ends February 5, 2009**

**A/N: The music from the movie, and subsequently this fic, is from Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (18th variation). It's a BEAUTIFUL piano piece and I highly recommend listening to it. It's perfectly Edward!**

**EPOV**

I have failed.

Hours and hours spent in my room trying, unsuccessfully, to hypnotize myself back in time. Wasted. I change out of that ridiculous 'vintage' suit and throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and storm from the hotel room. Unconsciously, I stride across the lobby and into the small overlooked museum that holds a glimpse into the hotel's past. I find myself, once again, in front of her portrait. I don't understand. _Why I am so drawn to her?_

I am completely enamored with the shining eyes in the photograph. Her hair looks so soft piled in relaxed curls on top of her head. Her smile seems shy yet so genuine. It's hard to tell since it's not a color photograph but she almost appears to be blushing. The look she is giving me is the one I feel like I've been waiting my whole life for. She seems to just radiate love. That look, that smile, the face I so adore… is trapped in a photograph taken almost 70 years ago.

When I arrived at The Grand Hotel a few weeks ago, I felt lonely and overworked. My music career was going very well but I had no one to share my success with. None of my accomplishments really meant much when I went home to a dark, quiet apartment alone every night. So, I came here to this old hotel for a little R and R. I just wanted some time to reevaluate my life. Then, purely by chance, I found this little room full of antiques and aging photographs. The whole world seemed to stop for me when I looked into her eyes.

I've done my research. I now know just about everything there is to know about Miss Isabella Swan. She had become my obsession when I saw her face that first time. She was a talented actress, famous in her time. Her last performance was held at the theater in the hotel, which explained why The Grand has her photo in their little museum. Her obituary was short. After her short career she shied away from the public eye. She never married and lived a life of relative seclusion until her death about ten years ago. I became discouraged when I thought that was all I could find on her until she was mentioned in a physics book by a Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

It was fortunate when I found that Dr. Cullen teaches at a nearby university. He even agreed to meet with me and told me all he knew about Isabella. She had been fascinated by his research. Ms. Swan sought Dr. Cullen out as a graduate student and helped finish putting him through school and earn his doctorate. She had been funding him and was a driving force behind his research ever since. That night, I became well versed in Dr. Cullen's theories on auto-suggestive time travel. He believes that through self-hypnosis, one can travel through time seemingly on faith alone.

It wasn't until he handed me a silver picture frame from his mantel that I began to believe in his theory. It was a photograph of an elderly woman with familiar brown eyes. I did not know her name but I would know that face anywhere. She was at almost every concert or appearance I made since before I graduated college, but she never approached me. She would just watch from afar. I never gave her much notice the first couple times until Emmett informed me that my first groupie was an octogenarian. I would have laughed, too, if it weren't for that sad look in her eyes. I _did_ notice when she stopped coming, though. She never missed a public performance until… about ten years ago. My mind reels when Dr. Cullen informs me that the elderly woman in the photograph is Isabella Swan.

I remember all this as I stand in the tiny room and gaze into her eyes, for what seems like the thousandth time, and try and think this through. It seems that I am destined to meet her…. I was so sure of it. Now though, after my failure, I wonder about my sanity. She seemed almost as obsessed with me as I am over the photo taken of her in her youth. Why? Why would she fund a doctor obsessed with traveling through time? She must have known something. My going back to meet her makes sense then, doesn't it? I'm beginning to think that I'm losing touch with reality. What was I thinking? I'm so disheartened. Bracing myself, I lean on the glass display case below her smiling face and hang my head.

I look upon the hotel registrar displayed beneath the glass for the thousandth time, once again, memorizing her signature. The delicate loops and sweeping strokes of her name penned by her own hand. I notice how, like her portrait on the wall, even her signature stands out among the others on the page. And then, further down the page, I see it. Room 416.

My name.

My _signature_.

The air whooshes from my lungs as I realize the truth. I was _there_.

_I was there_.

With her.

I didn't fail. I just hadn't succeeded.

Yet.

With renewed conviction, I forgo the elevator and sprint up the stairs to close myself in my room. I put my period clothing back on, ready to begin again. Knowing, it's only a matter of time.

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When I meet her in person, I am mesmerized. I've never tried so hard in all my life to charm a woman; I never really had to since they usually sought me out. The whole time I talk to her, I can hear Emmett laughing at me. Amazingly, my charms, mixed with a heavy dose of gentlemanly manners my mother taught me, worked. Miss Isabella Swan has just agreed to spend the better part of her afternoon with me tomorrow. I can't wait to know her. I can't wait for her to know me. I feel the chemistry there and I pray she feels it, too. I sit at the desk in my room until late into the night, my fingers dancing along it's polished edge. I can hear the notes in my mind as they pour effortlessly from my fingertips just as clearly as I would if I were sitting at a piano. My music has always come fairly easily to me but this piece was forcing it's way out.

It seems I have found my muse.

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I meet Isabella in the lobby at the designated time and offer her my arm. I can't seem to stop staring at her as we walk along the path to the lake behind the hotel. Her voice is so much softer than I had imagined. She isn't very tall. If we were to embrace my chin could easily rest on top of her head. Oh, how I want to take her into my arms.

As we walk, I tell her I write music for a living and this seems to excite her. It seems that, when her schedule allows, she loves attending concerts. I explain that I'm a fan of hers but, when she asks what my favorite performance was, I sheepishly admit that I have yet to see one. So, I tell her that I've traveled from very far away just to see her. She blushes. To see that blush in full bloom and in color is almost my undoing. I have to restrain myself from caressing her cheek. She offers me a ticket to see tonight's performance and I can't quite hold back my crooked smile.

I am enchanted by the vision before me. Isabella is sitting in the back of our little row boat, twirling her parasol as it lies on her shoulder blocking the suns rays, as the light bounces off the water and dances across her face. We take a break from talking as I row our small boat in lazy circles in the lake and enjoy the peace of the moment. Absentmindedly, I begin to hum.

"That's beautiful," she interrupts. "What is it?"

I evade her question. "Do you like it?"

"I like it very much, but I've never heard this piece before."

"You inspired it." I admit with a crooked smile.

Comprehension dawns and I don't think I have ever seen a blush as deep as this. I continue to hum her song in hopes she isn't too embarrassed. She asks about my music. I promise to play for her for her being sure to let her know that nothing would give me greater pleasure. I get to see her blush again. We talk about everything it seems. She tells me how shy she was growing up and that taking to the stage was, at first, just a way to get over being so timid.

We return the boat and sit in the shade of a gazebo on the lawn far from the hotel. I tell her I am from Chicago but that I am enjoying a break from work just now since it was getting very demanding of my time. Sadly, I learn that her company is leaving for Denver tomorrow after this last performance. I choose not to dwell on it and make the most of the time we have together. She relates to me what life is like on the road. She's lonely, too. I tell her that I understand. I focused on my music so much the past decade that I am now left with only my piano to keep me company. We talk for hours. It seems like minutes. It seems like days.

The sun is getting lower in the sky. She'll need to get ready for the play soon. As excited as I am to see her perform, I resent having to be apart from her. I stand to break the spell we seem to have cast on one another and offer her my arm. She takes it and I lead her along the path leading back. I choose to walk a slow pace. I hope she is as reluctant to part as I am. A group of young ladies head our way with someone who appear to be a very sour aunt leading them. The girls seem to size me up with approval; the sour woman seems offended by my attire.

"Ladies," I tip my hat and bow slightly in their direction in greeting as they pass. Embarrassingly enough, I hear giggles and sighs coming from them behind us. I hope Miss Swan doesn't take notice. So, of course, she does.

"Do you always have to do that, Mr. Masen?" she asks.

"And what would 'that' be, Miss Swan?" I answer feigning ignorance.

"Dazzle women," she replies.

"Do I dazzle you, Miss Swan?" I can't help but smile at her.

"Frequently," she admits. She then blushes quite dark when she realizes just what she has said. I chuckle at that and smile at her again.

We are standing in the shade of a willow tree, now. I know it's time to let her go. She needs to get ready for the play but I am having a hard time finding the words to say goodbye -or to let her know how I feel. "Miss Swan-" I began.

"Please, call me Bella."

"Bella." I smile getting lost in those brown doe eyes again. "Beautiful. It's very fitting."

"You flatter too much, Mr. Masen," she scolded me halfheartedly.

"Edward," I corrected her.

Nodding her head once she smiles and softly repeats my name with another small blush.

"Bella," I softly begin again. "I want to thank you for spending the day with me. When I met you yesterday I had hopes of getting to know you, to spend time with you. I feel as though I've spent my whole life looking for you." I take both of her hands in mine and lightly clutch them to my chest. "I don't know if you can understand this but when I saw you I almost felt that maybe you were looking for me, too."

"I… I was expecting…" her words trail off.

"Me?" I offer jokingly with a small hopeful smile.

Her eyes dart away. "Someone," she corrects with a small shy smile.

"Who?" I gently prod. "Tell me." I try to put as much 'dazzle' into my smile as I can.

She smiles gently, embarrassed, and looks away again. "I think you'll laugh," She says softly and bites her bottom lip.

"Why?" I flash another smile as I duck my head and try and keep eye contact with her. "Is it funny?"

"In a way…" With a small huff she gives in. "Alice told me you were coming."

"Alice?"

"Yes. She's my maid… well, she's my friend really. She knows somehow. She really does. She knew a lot of things when they happened. My career. My…" She pauses and looks me in the eye. "She told me that I would meet a man during my stay here and… that man… he…Well, he would change my life."

"Is Alice always so perceptive?" I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Over our many years of traveling and working together, I have learned that it is always smart to bet on Alice." Bella smiles. "She is rarely, if ever, wrong."

I can't be happier with her answer. I lean down just enough to gauge her reaction. My heart pounds in my ears when she tilts her chin up just slightly and her gaze falls upon my lips. I stand still waiting for a sign from her to tell me what to do. She raises up to place a light kiss on my check but it lands more on the corner of my mouth and she slowly backs away taking her hands from mine.

She bites her lip and a soft blush rises to her cheeks. "I will have a ticket waiting for you at the door." And, just like that, she turns and walks back towards the hotel looking over her shoulder one more time with a smile so bright I can't help but return it.

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My ticket was waiting for me at the door just like Bella said it would be. I was quickly settled in my seat and waiting for her to walk on stage. When she made her appearance I was captivated by her. She wore a floor length white gown and the spot light gave her an ethereal glow. She looks like an angel walking across the stage. She is amazing. She's able to project that soft voice into the theater so that all could hear her. She has such poise. She really is talented. I am so proud of her.

I am mesmerized watching her for the first half. I don't really hear her. I just watch her. The way her skirt clings to her legs as she walks across stage. The way she gestures with her hands as she talks. How she licks her lips before speaking her lines. I am grateful for this opportunity. If she were not on stage performing, I would never have been allowed to watch her the way I am without attracting attention. She's a member of polite society and I would have to play by their rules. But for now, while she is up on stage, I can memorize her body in motion.

When she looks me in the eye, I come back to reality. Her words start sinking in. It seems as though she is delivering a monologue. It looks like she is supposed to be addressing the other actress on stage. My eyes lock on hers and the whole room disappears for us both. She is talking of love. Of meeting her destiny. I know that these are words from a script but, something about the way she looks at me as she recites them, I can't help but think she is talking about me. About us. I still feel like I am in a dream. I can't keep the glazed look out of my eyes. She is talking of the man of her dreams. I try not to read too much into her words but she is looking _right at me_ as she says them with such feeling. I almost forget to breathe.

"… The sort of man each woman dreams of in the deepest most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now before me. What would I say to him…if he were really here? Forgive me. I've never known this feeling. I've lived without it _all_ my life. Is it any wonder that I failed to recognize you? _You_, who brought it to me for the first time. Is there anyway that I can let you know how my life has changed? Anyway at all to let you know of the sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say I… I can not find the words… Except, for these…" She takes a small shuddering breath.

"I love you."

My heart is pounding in my chest and I don't think I took a breath or blinked the entire time she 'spoke to me'. When I flash her my crooked smile she breaks character and smiles back for just a second. She quickly turns to hide the small blush that has, once again, stained her cheeks. The crowd burst into applause after her moving speech and I can't keep myself from joining in. I'm thankful for a way to release some of the joy that has been rising in me to near overflowing.

I seek her out backstage during the intermission. I'm not sure if I will be able to see her, let alone talk to her again, but I have to try. I'm lucky. The cast is being photographed and I arrive just in time to see Bella sit for her portrait. Not wanting to disturb, I slowly approach her from behind the camera. The photographer just finishes adjusting her pose and is about to snap the picture when she looks up at me. Her eyes light up and she smiles with a hint of a blush. It's the look I've been waiting for.

FLASH

Realization dawns the second that the picture is taken. The portrait that will one day hang in the tiny hotel museum, the one that I gazed into so often dreaming that she was looking at me that way, it truly _was_ a picture of my Bella giving_ me_ that look frozen in time. The thought made my head swim.

We need to talk. The company is leaving tomorrow after the set is broken down. _She is leaving_ for Denver with them. How can I let her go now? I can't keep my smile in. Yes, we definitely need to talk.

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She allows me to escort her back to the hotel after the play. We are back at her room now. It's time to say goodbye. I didn't think it would be this hard. I try not to think that in a few hours she will be packed up and on her way to Denver. I just didn't have enough time with her.

Hat in my hands, I open my mouth but I'm not sure what to say. I take her hand and step toward her. "Couldn't we talk for just a little while longer?" I implore her. She seems unsure so, I push farther. "Please…" _I'm not too proud to beg_. I take a step closer and she is backed up against her door in a sorry attempt to keep some space between us.

She's very torn. She's just standing there worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, like she's afraid to say yes, her hands fidgeting with her room key.

I hold my breath and implore her with my eyes this time._ Please, just a little more time with you. I don't want _this_, whatever it is, to end so soon._ _Please!_

She sighs and gives in, "Very well then," and adds, "But just for a moment or so..." She hands me her room key with a small smile and then avoids looking at me as I unlock the door and hold it open for her.

Bella enters the room quietly, hesitantly, and walks over to place her hat on the foyer table. She stills when she hears the door click shut. The room seems suddenly very quiet. Very… private.

When that door clicked shut it seemed to have trapped all the tension in here, too. Outside of the room, it had somewhere to go. Inside, it just keeps building and building. I walk up behind her and raise a hand not sure if I should touch her, not sure what to say.

Bella takes several steps away from me then says over her shoulder in a hushed voice, "What did you want to talk about, Edward?" She then turns to me and leans against the doorway to the inner room. There is a slight blush staining her cheeks and she's not looking at my eyes, she's looking at my mouth.

I hesitate for a second trying to calm myself, to think this through. I set my hat on the table next to hers and when I look up at her she meets my gaze and her blush deepens and then… Then she licks her lips.

It takes two strides to get to her.

I turn to face her fully and I tentatively reach out to lightly cup her shoulders. "No," she whispers and the whole world stills at her words. I stop, my fingertips just barely grazing her upper arms. I keep eye contact with her and try and let her know that I will not hurt her. That she can trust me. She relaxes just a fraction but I am so in tune with her I feel it. My hands begin to move up, once again, and this time they reach their target.

So, I just I stand there before her, with my hands lightly cupping her delicate shoulders and gaze into her eyes. After I give her a moment to adjust to my proximity, I slowly take a small step forward almost completely closing the gap in between us. Again, she offers no resistance and the tension builds even higher.

I wait for a reaction when I raise one hand to her face. She breaks eye contact and looks down at my chest and closes her eyes. Her breathing quickens when I lightly run my fingertips across her cheekbone. _She is so beautiful_. I gently take hold of her chin and lift her face back up to mine. I cup her cheek and lean my head down a little closer still.

Her warm chocolate eyes finally meet mine again and she tilts her chin higher. I give her a small smile and move to have both hands lightly cup her jaw with the lightest touch. I can feel her pulse thrumming in her neck beneath the fingertips that rest there, my hands to large to hold just her cheeks. I am completely transfixed by the moment, by her. _I am really here_. She is so close I can taste her sweet breath. Her hair smells like sunshine and flowers from our day spent together outside. Her creamy ivory skin is so soft, so beautiful. I can see dark grey flecks in her amazing brown eyes. Her lips…Her lips look so inviting. The lower is slightly swollen and red from her biting it earlier. So innocent. So sexy.

"Oh God," she whispers breathily, "Do something." The last comes out almost as a whimper and it snaps me out of my reverie. I lean in so slow and brush my lips across hers lightly once, twice, three times. With that she unclenches the little fists she's kept at her sides and places her palms flat against my stomach and leans into me.

The hesitancy is gone and; the more my lips touch hers, the more pressure I use, the more she moves her lips against mine, the more the tension leaves the room. I wrap my arms around her waist and, when she slides her hands up my torso to grasp my shoulders, I crush her to me. I raise a hand to cradle the back of her head and open my mouth to trace my tongue along her luscious bottom lip. She gasps at this and I slowly press my tongue into her mouth. I'm not sure what she will think of it as I tentatively lap at her tongue. She squeezes my shoulders a bit tighter and stiffens in my arms and just as I am about to retreat she relaxes into my embrace with a small moan. Bella begins to respond to the kiss and slowly her tongue begins to dance with mine. When she briefly sucks my bottom lip in her mouth, I find heaven in her arms. But I know this has to stop.

I slowly disengage our tongues and it's difficult because the further I lean my head from her, the further she leans up to me. With a few kisses to her lips, each one more chaste than the last, I finally pull away to look her in the eyes.

"Don't stop," she whimpers gently tugging at my shoulders.

"I have to, love," I tell her with a sad smile. I rest my forehead against hers as we both calm our breathing but neither of us loosens the hold we have on the other.

"But, why?" she sadly whispers.

I take a steadying breath. "Bella, I am a man with a beautiful woman in my arms that I love very much. There is nothing I would want more than to continue kissing you but, if we do this much longer, I won't have the good sense to stop. I won't be able to let you go. I'll want to hold on to you. Forever." My hand leaves the back of her head to lie against her cheek as the pad of my thumb rubs softly against her swollen lip.

Bella looks me straight in the eye. "Edward, I love you, too." Then she says softly with conviction. "I want this. I want _you_. I don't want you to let me go. Ever." With those words her hands leave my shoulders and clutch handfuls of hair at the nape of my neck and she pulls my head down to hers once again.

"Bella-" is all I am able to get out in my surprise before she crashes her lips to mine. She is a quick learner. This time she is the one to trace her tongue along my lip. I take her cue and open my mouth to her. When her tiny warm tongue presses into my mouth and dances against mine, the hand that is against her check travels lower. My hand trails slowly down the column of her neck and my fingertips trace her collarbone. Without warning, she presses into me hard trapping my hand between us. My hand is so large and my pianists' fingers so long, that, with my fingertips still on her collar bone, I suddenly have her soft breast palmed in my hand. I brace myself for her surprise. I wait for her to pull away. Instead, she leans into me even further with a small sigh.

I wrench my mouth away from hers and move my offending hand to her waist. "Bella, please." I beg, my breathing ragged. "I am trying hard to be a gentleman. You deserve bett-"

"I am twenty five years old, Edward," Bella states with amused annoyance. "By most people's standards, I'm a spinster, having chosen a career rather than accept one of the men who asked for my hand. I have never regretted that decision, not once. I knew that those men were not for me," she placed a chaste kiss on my lips, "much like I know you_ are_ the man for me."

_Time to lay it all on the line, Masen._ "Love, you need to know that I have nothing to offer you but myself. I left my life in Chicago behind and I come to you with nothing but what you see before you, the clothes on my back and the few dollars in my pocket." I need to make her understand.

She smiles at me as if I just granted her fondest wish. "That's all I want," she tells me with another quick kiss. "You are all I need. If you don't want to return to Chicago, we can stay here and make a new home in Michigan or you can come with me to Denver and see how you like traveling with the company." Her face brightens as see senses me relax. "We won't have to hire a pianist at every stop anymore," she giggles. "It doesn't matter to me where we go, or what we do, as long as we are together. You did say you wanted to hold on to me didn't you? Never let me go?"

"That I did, love, and I meant it." I kiss her slowly this time lingering on her lower lip. I look into her eyes again and bring my hand back up to the back of her head lacing my fingers into her hair, my thumb rubbing against the tender spot blow her ear. When she closes her eyes and leans her head back into my hand I lean forward again. This time, I only ghost my lips past hers once and continue along her cheek. My lips brush against her ear when I tell her I love her causing her to shiver. I nudge her cheek with mine to tilt her head into my hand exposing her neck to me. Her breathing quickens when I take her lobe between my lips with my tongue for a quick suck, only to release it and press the flat of my tongue below her ear. I lavish some attention to the sensitive spot for a few moments before trailing nips and open mouthed kisses down her neck. Once I reach her shoulder, she finally has access to my neck and starts placing little kisses everywhere her soft lips can reach. The first time I feel her teeth lightly scrape across the cords of my neck I groan. The sound vibrates between us and I feel the tension coil deep in my gut, my trousers now almost unbearably tight.

I pull against the shoulder of her dress and expose as much of her shoulder as I can as I move her back against the door jam. My neck is straining so my mouth can reach the newly exposed skin. _This isn't working_. I grab her around her ribcage with both hands and lift her up. She is now pressed into the door jam looking down on me cradling my head. I return my mouth to her shoulder and trail my tongue down to her collar bone. I feel a tugging on my neck and it takes me a moment to realize she is pulling the knot from my bowtie and releasing the button of my collar moving on to the first few buttons of my shirt. One hand slides around her lower back to steady her with my arm while the other slides up her ribs to cup the underside of one breast. My hand gently squeezes her breast and, when she seems that she is accepting of it, I squeeze again with more pressure slowly kneading. My face lowers to her other breast and I trace my nose across it's peak as my thumb starts brushing over her other nipple. I feel her nipples pearl up under the soft layers of fabric and it makes me harder to feel that she is so responsive to me. As I roll one nipple between my fingers, I take the other into my mouth and gently trap it between my teeth rubbing my tongue back and forth across the thick fabric.

Bella whimpers and thrusts one hand back into my hair, pulling my mouth closer to her breast, while the other grabs desperately at the back of my hand. With a moan, she spreads her legs enough that she is now straddling me high on my waist, far from where I ache for her to be. I look up to see her head thrown back, her eyes squeeze shut and her mouth opens as she gasps for air. There is a beautiful blush running from her rosy cheeks, down along the column of her throat, disappearing down into the neckline of her dress. She looks magnificent. She looks down at me, probably see why I've stopped, and I grin at her. She looks for a moment at my smiling face before lowering her head to mine.

As we kiss, I back away from the wall and allow her to slowly, torturously, slide down me. I groan into her mouth when her soft body comes in contact with the hard bulge in my pants. I stop her there palming her buttocks and grind her lightly against me. Bella whimpers again and is suddenly scrambling out of my arms. _Shit! I've scared her._

I lower her to the ground and quickly make sure she has her balance before I pull away. I look into her eyes, prepared to throw myself at her feet and beg forgiveness but I am shocked when I look into her eyes. Her cheeks are still flushed and her chest is still rising and falling with each rapid breath but it's her eyes that tell me what she is feeling. There is no fear, no apprehension, just a wantonness that I didn't expect mixed with love and trust. Giving me a small unsure smile, she raises both hands to the back of her head and pulls out two long stick-like things from her hair as she slowly backs into the room behind her. As I watch the flow of mahogany waves flow over shoulders I almost fail to notice that there is a bed behind her. She turns her back to me and walks to the table beside the bed. I hear, rather than see, her strike a match to light the candle that sits there. She takes a backwards step in my direction and spares me a coy look before drawing all of her hair over one shoulder exposing her neck to me again. I know she's a virgin and I can't help but awed by her boldness. I step into the room quickly and wrap my arms around her from behind pulling her to me as I attack her neck. My very hard erection is pressed against the soft roundness of her bottom now and it's all I can do to keep myself from grinding into her again.

"Edward," Bella giggles timidly. "My buttons…" _Oh!_ Suddenly the bold move of offering her neck makes so much more sense. I reluctantly pull away and set about my task.

As I look at the back of her dress, I am shocked at the amount of little buttons along her spine. My fingers feel large and clumsy as I struggle to free Bella. Her undergarments are a mystery to me. I have no idea what or where to unlace, unbuckle or unbutton. I help her everywhere I can and kiss her when I'm not needed, discarding my jacket and waistcoat in the process. She looks to be down to her final layer when she turns her full attention back to me. She pushes my suspenders over my shoulders and unbuttons my shirt pulling it from the waist of my pants. I explore her body through the thin fabric that remains as she smoothes her hands all over my abdomen and chest. I kiss her deeply and she runs her hands along my shoulders and down my arms, pushing my shirt ahead of her hands, until I release her so my shirt can fall to the floor. I pull away from her slightly and scoop her up into my arms to lay her on the bed.

Kneeling with one knee on the bed, I lean over her to question her with my eyes one last time. If she were to have changed her mind, now is the time to tell me. She smiles nervously at me and nods her head and takes my face into her hands. _She's anxious but she still wants this._ I nod once in return and allow her to draw my lips to hers. As we kiss I remove the remainder of her flimsy undergarments making a silent vow that, when we are alone, I will do everything I can to keep her undressed until zippers become popular with the fashion industry. She is now naked before me and I can still make out every dip and curve of her body in the waning light filtering in through the windows. I sit back a little so I can see her better. Bella bites her lip again and makes little fists at her sides as she waits, watching me. I can feel her eyes on my face as I map every hill and valley of her torso with my hand, my eyes following my fingers.

"So beautiful," I tell her as I lean down to kiss her again. Her shyness is starting to fade. She releases the bedspread and reaches out for me. I move to lie beside her as we kiss my hand still resting flat against her stomach. I'm raised up on my elbow so I can lean down to kiss her more as my free hand explores her soft belly. I trace small, slow circles along both hip bones and I feel her stomach muscles tense and relax under my hand. I move the arm I am leaning on so my hand can reach Bella's face. I sit back to look her in the eyes and stroke her cheek as my roaming hand delves lower, my fingers combing through her tight curls. I ask if she's alright and she nods that she is so, I continue. I cup her mound and slowly apply gentle pressure as I slightly draw my fingers back up and down again. Her breathing quickens and I bring my mouth to her chest to lavish more attention on her nipples.

It's not long before she starts moving under me and so I press my fingers deeper, parting her folds and find her sensitive nub. She gives out a strangled cry as I press my fingers in slow circles torturing her center. Holding her neck with my still hand, I return to kissing her lips so I can catch the soft noises she's making in my mouth. Her breathing is getting ragged and she's clutching at my shoulders and hair. I can feel her starting to spin out of control so I move my fingers lower and ease two fingers into her.

"Oh Bella," I groan. "You're so _wet_." I exclaim quietly in shock, stilling my fingers. I'm having a hard time holding onto my control now and I press my forehead to her shoulder and try and calm myself. I didn't think I could get any harder until I felt her wet heat. It's almost my undoing.

"Is… is that alright?" she asks me breathily. There is a hint of worry to her voice and I raise my head and smile to reassure her.

"It's more than alright, my love. It just shows me that your body is ready to have me inside you." My voice sounds deep and husky to even me. I smile at her again and move my thumb to resume making circles around her nub. Bella's very sensitive now after all the attention I've given her and she reacts with a sudden intake of breath throwing her head back into the pillows, closing her eyes. I lean in and nip and suck at her neck trailing my mouth from behind the soft spot behind her ear to her collar bone and back down to her breasts. I slowly start to pump my fingers and add more pressure to my thumb. I can feel her getting close and I look up to watch the ecstasy wash over her. Her breathing is erratic and her head has trashed to the side giving me the perfect view of her face. She opens her eyes and looks right at me when she cries out and I feel her walls clamping down on my thrusting fingers. I slow my hand and ease up the pressure on her clit as she rides out her pleasure. I have never seen anything as erotic as Bella gazing into my eyes when the orgasm over took her. She takes my breath away.

I smile, somewhat proud of myself since she obviously has enjoyed herself, and lean down to kiss her again as I remove my fingers from her and rest my hand at her hip. The sun has about set and very little light is coming in. I can still see her face flushed and rosy with the candles soft yellow light. The flames flicker and I am amazed at how beautiful she looks with the light dancing across her face and chest. My heart swells.

Bella breaks the silence. "Edward?" she asks faintly

I brush some stands of hair back from her damp forehead. "Yes, love?" I don't think I can stop smiling at her.

"That was…umm… it was…"Bella's blush is easily seen in this low light. "I never knew it could be that way… between a man and woman."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, love." I kiss her passionately, stoking the embers of desire once more then tell her, "But know that we aren't finished yet, there's more." My hand moves up from her hip to her breast ghosting my fingers up her ribs.

Bella's eyes widen. "More?" She asks through her pleasure induced haze. Then comprehension dawns, "Oh…" He eyebrows raise and she looks from my face to down my chest and lower to the very obvious bulge in my trousers. "Oh!" And then she giggles.

I can't help but chuckle at her reaction. "I love you, Bella. I've never been with a virgin but I swear to you that I will do right by you. I won't hurt you, love." I try and calm any fears she might have.

"I trust you, Edward. I love you, too," she says and leans up to kiss me again.

I kiss her back and lower back to the pillows as our tongues dance. She seems in a hyper sensitive state and every touch, nip, kiss, rub and lick appears to have a magnified effect and it's not long before she is writhing beneath me again. I manage to discard the rest of my clothes without interrupting our kissing for long and I nestle myself between her legs. I have to push her legs much further apart than was necessary for my hand and at first she tensed. Eye contact and a whispered 'I love you' was all that was needed for her to relax once again. I kiss her everywhere my mouth can reach, saving her lips for last. I can feel my tip at the opening of her moist heat now and I struggle, once again, for control as my body aches to be inside her.

I look her in the eye as I slowly lower my hips to her, entering her as slow as I can manage. I push past her barrier easily and still my body as I feel her tense all around me. As I wait for her to relax, I try and concentrate on my breathing and not think about how good she fells around me, how soft, how tight… _Oh God!_ She relaxes and I take that as my cue to move again. I pull out slowly gauging her reaction and, when she stays relaxed, I slowly enter her again. I slowly pull my hips back and forth again and again, focusing on her face, waiting for a reaction but there is none. She just watches me intently and then… then I see the change come over her. Her eyes half close and her head tilts up just so as her breathing picks up. I relax into her more allowing myself to really feel her for the first time.

She feels amazing. So warm, so soft, so wet… so _mine_. I rock into her keeping the slow steady pace as long as I can, feeling the coil in my gut winding tighter and tighter. Bella lets out a small whimpering sound and so I increase the tempo of my thrusts. She responds with a soft moan and gabs at my back. I kiss her with passion to match my fevered thrusting. When I pull away from her mouth to gasp for breath she latches herself to my neck. I reach down, lifting her knee to hook it over my hip allowing me to plunge even further into her depths. I push deeply into her again and again and again before bringing a hand between us. With my palm flat against her stomach I find her sensitive nub again with the pad of my thumb. She shivers and I swear I feel her get tighter. I know I should be gentler with her but she feels so damn good and she's showing no signs of discomfort so I ram harder into her still over and over and over again. She's close now, I can feel it. Knowing what to expect now, she brings her palm to her mouth, biting it to stifle the noises she's making. I pull her hand away from her mouth and hold it in my fist.

"No, Bella." I pant between thrusts, "I want… to… hear you."

"Edward… please… gnuh…" I feel her walls clenching around my shaft when she throws hers head forward and bites my shoulder hard to quiet her orgasm. The bite, so feral, combined with her walls closing in on me throws me over the edge of the most intense orgasm of my life. I shudder and shiver when I finally still. I barely have enough thought in me to remember to roll myself to the side instead of collapsing on her. I still have her hand in mine and so I pull it until she is nestled to me half on my chest. I kiss the bite marks on her palm and then the top of her head, stroking her hair with my free hand. We lay cuddled there waiting for our breathing and heart rates to slow to a more normal pace. I don't think I have ever, or will ever, be happier than I am in this moment, right now. I feel a sudden wetness against my chest. _Is she crying?_

"Love?" I'm suddenly very worried, a thousand reasons for her tears run through my head. "Love, what is it?"

She straightens up a bit to look at me through watery eyes. "Oh Edward, I'm just so happy. A day ago I didn't even realize that a piece of my heart was missing… and now, here you are." She reached up to brush back the wet hair that clung to my forehead.

"Here I am, love, I've come a very long way to be with you and I'm here to stay," I assure her with a chaste kiss. She lays her head back against my chest and I bring her hand to my mouth to kiss her bite mark once again before laying her hand to rest on my chest, stroking her arm lightly with my fingertips. I gather Bella close and feel her melt into me with a sigh as I hum the song I wrote for her.

Bella's lullaby.

**A/N: Please R/R!**

**8002 words total!! The lemon comes in at a whopping 4851!! It was such a struggle to get it that low, too! LOL It's technically 7997 words if you discount the 'EPOV' and the 'xxxxxx' that segment the one-shot. Phew!! I just made it under the limbo stick on this one! LOL **

**I hope you all liked it; **_**if**_** you managed to even make it this far. **

**I tend to be a bit loquacious; which is a nice way of saying I'm effing long-winded. ;o) When I started out, I wrote damn near the whole movie. When I got to over 20,000 words and hadn't gotten to the lemon yet, I decided to backtrack and crank this one-shot out before the deadline was up. The extended version has a lot more drama including canon pairings of Em/R, J/A, C/Es and JAMES!! If you guys would like the extended version (titled: ****Come Back To Me)****, let me know in your reviews, OK? I'll see about posting it for Valentine's Day. ;o) Reviews with begging equals motivation to type. LOL**

**This story is the first thing I have ever written for FF. It was a lot of fun and I would just like to thank The Three Smutketeers for inspiring me to stop **_**reading**_** and start **_**typing**_**! You guys rock!**

**THANKS!!**


	2. Extended Version Posted!

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A/N: Just thought I'd let everyone know that the Full/Extended version of this one shot has been posted to my proflile.

**Thanks so much to everyone who asked for it. :o)**

**Enjoy!!**

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